DonnaP

You need to give yourself permission to be sad sometimes. It's OK. Sending HUGS! We cannot be strong ALL THE TIME... D.

Left a surprise smoothie for SD in the fridge. Had my older son's girlfriend over for dinner last night (he is away on a business trip).

Got outta bed later than planned But still managed to squeeze in two segments of cardio -- 15 minute interval and 15-minute metabolism boost. Feelin good! Hasn't helped me with the weight loss yet, but I'm pretty sure it's because of my poor eating habits... I'm hoping the extra muscle will aid in that area.

Trying to do nice things for SD, as she has been in a funk lately. Any suggestions???

Safe travels. I will be looking forward to seeing you when you get to Connecticut

I did not expect to find this kind of deep love again, but somehow love found me! I still miss Mick with every fiber of my being. But the darkness that once enveloped me is no longer all consuming. I have someone who "loves me more than air"; someone who knows exactly how I feel, because he lost a spouse too; someone who gets me, who lives to make me happy, and it feels wonderful. Totally different from my first love, but no less wonderful. <3 Donna

HUGS, Donna, There's a reason there are so many songs written about broken hearts. LOVE does make the world go 'round and it gives our lives meaning. Without love--in some form (love of a child, a family member, a pet even)--and the reciprocal feelings it delivers, we can be left feeling hopeless and alone. I totally get your sentiments, and send warm thoughts your way. DonnaP

So sorry to hear, Patriciad, Life does indeed seem unfair at times. I personally know of several instances in which the widowed spouse died soon after losing his/her mate. No rhyme or reason to it. I also personally believe that the type of loss we wids suffer leaves lasting damage--both the physical and emotionally kind. Some people don't ever recover from it, while others seem to find "strength" they didn't know they had. Sounds like your neighbor had everything to live for--including a new baby. How very sad. HUGS, Donna

I slept through my workout time this morning. Just needed the extra sleep ... I will try to go for a walk on my lunch hour.

Monday - took an hour-long bicycle ride Tuesday - played nine holes of golf, walking and pulling clubs Wednesday - 30 minutes of cardio interval / power walking plus 15 minutes of yoga

Just seeing this... What a COOL idea! We are a two-hour drive from New Jersey. Is the park in Bridgewater? July 26 is a Sunday -- a little harder but not impossible. Put us down as a "maybe" -- I have to check with Andrew and see if he thinks it's do-able to get back on Sunday. Might be a traffic nightmare. Are all the concerts on Sundays? Donna

I hope things start to go a little better. Baby steps. LIFE is hard, especially for us wids. Be kind to yourself. HUGS, Donna

5/12 Made SD a fruit surprise smoothie for breakfast while she was getting ready for her workday. 5/12 Gave my hair stylist an extra large tip again, even though the service was a bit slower than usual. She is trying to establish a new business, so I was trying to be supportive... 5/13 Gave the custodian at work a hug and a nice morning greeting. Asked her how she was doing. Helped rid the office of two nasty yellow jackets

5/8 Took the day off to take SD outlet shopping. Bought her lunch. Combined the outlet trip with a visit with two of my nieces who have little children. 5/9 Attended my nephew's graduation (yes, this WAS a kindness -- it was a 2.5 hour long ordeal that was not well orchestrated) Helped my sister pay for the dinner bill, which included 10 family members. Drove to nephew's apartment and took a car load of his stuff back home. 5/11 Returned two carriages from the parking lot to the grocery store.

haha - this sounds SO familiar. I have been dealing with my own clutter demons and taking baby steps to reclaim space in my house. I don't seem to have any large chunks of time, though. So my progress is very slow. I like your idea of doing one area at a time and "reclaiming" the useful space. I'm considering getting a dumpster, now that the blasted snow is finally gone. But to make it worthwhile, I've got to do some of the purging FIRST. Otherwise, I'll only put a small dent in stuff while the dumpster is here for a week. Ok. Time to get down to business. I WILL do this. I MUST do this. I CAN do this. ... Now, if only I wasn't stuck at work for the entire day Momentum is only good for a short while. We will see how I feel later in the day. Good luck on your continued purging, riff. It sounds like it's been very good for you! HUGS, DonnaP

We can't do Aug. 8 (we will be away attending a family wedding). We could make July 25 work - late afternoon would be best. Let me see if I can find a good meeting spot -- Hikermom, any suggestions???

Reached out to several people I hadn't talked to in awhile via email and text to check on them and let them know I was thinking of them.

Andrew and I could make a destination BAGO in Vermont or New Hampshire. We were looking for a date to do the BIKER BAGO. Perhaps we could combine the two. A few of us could take the motorcycle ride up and we could all congregate somewhere... What about Fourth of July weekend? We were considering going somewhere. Our two-year wedding anniversary is July 5 What is everyone's availability??

4/30 Searched online and found a bunch of theater internship opportunities, which I emailed to my SD. Also, found out that American Idiot is playing in Torrington in June. So, I bought four tickets to treat my SD and a friend to a show she loves. Treated my son to dinner last night and lunch this afternoon. Texted SD to wish her a happy last day of classes. Emailed a student I'd met briefly last summer who was starting at Quinnipiac. Asked her how she was doing.

You got this! HUGS, Donna

Damn. I am falling way behind the curve. Stupid full-time job is hogging all my energy

Noon sounds good. And, yes, Mark - the more the merrier! The winery is a fun place -- lots of outdoor seating. Everyone brings food of some type to share. No drinks are permitted, however, as they want you to purchase their wine (obviously) or soft drinks. Looking forward to seeing you guys!

Weather looks beautiful for Sunday. What time are we thinking of starting?

At the grocery store, I grabbed two shopping carts on my way in, and this time, the guy who rounds up all the stray carts was standing there to see me pull them in. He gave me a big THANK YOU! It was nice timing

In today's rushed world where road rage rules, it IS huge. Great job!